Silvertips win franchise’s first WHL Championship in Recreation 5 blowout
Revealed 11:00 pm Friday, Might 15, 2026
Steve Hamilton stated it could be the toughest recreation of the season.
A winner of two WHL Championships as an assistant coach, the Everett Silvertips bench boss knew firsthand simply how tough it’s to shut out the sequence, which Everett had the chance to do getting into Recreation 5 of the WHL Championship in opposition to the Prince Albert Raiders at Artwork Hauser Centre on Friday.
Besides the Silvertips, as they’ve all season, made it look extremely straightforward.
It took simply 68 seconds for Everett to get on the board earlier than going up 2-0 by the tip of the primary interval, holding Prince Albert to simply 5 photographs on aim.
After keeping off a Raiders push early within the second interval, the Silvertips surged to a 7-2 win and secured their first Ed Chynoweth Cup in franchise historical past. Dominant from begin to end, the 2025-26 Everett Silvertips secured their legacy as one of many WHL’s all-time nice groups.
Shea Busch was robbed of experiencing most of Everett’s historic 57-win season when he sustained a wrist harm in late October after scoring 13 targets in his first 12 video games. The 18-year-old ahead missed the remainder of the common season, however he maintained a constructive perspective making an attempt to prepare for the postseason.
After months of ready, he returned halfway by the first-round sequence in opposition to Portland on March 31, and he saved his finest for final: With a hat trick that included the opening aim on Friday and two extra late to place Recreation 5 out of attain, Busch successfully opened and shut the title-clincher.
Zackary Shantz had three assists to share the scoring lead with Busch, and Jesse Heslop (two assists) and Brek Liske (one aim, one help) every had multi-point nights. Goaltender Anders Miller made 22 saves to finish a stellar postseason run with a 16-1-1 report to go together with a .932 save proportion and 1.91 goal-against common. Julius Miettinen was named playoff MVP after main the postseason discipline with 27 factors (14 targets, 13 assists) in 18 video games.
Busch opened the scoring at 1:08 of the primary interval. Shantz picked up a cross-ice cross from Luke Vlooswyk off the boards whereas getting into the offensive zone and centered it to Busch, who crashed in on the proper publish.
It set the tone for a dominant opening body, wherein Everett didn’t enable a shot from Prince Albert till 5:11. With a powerful forecheck, the Silvertips restricted the Raiders’ time on the puck and stored the motion of their zone.
Jaxsin Vaughan intercepted a cross behind the online and tried to wrap round to jam it by, however Orsulak made the cease at round 4:15. Carter Bear threw his physique round within the Prince Albert zone, which finally led to a Miettinen rebound probability off a shot from Matias Vanhanen at round 8:45. Midway by the interval, Everett held a 7-2 photographs on aim benefit.
The Silvertips simply may have pulled forward by three on the 13:30 mark, however Heslop and Bear every despatched a shot off the publish practically a minute aside. Heslop’s got here off a feed from Shantz with the online absolutely uncovered round 12:30 throughout an Everett energy play.
Finally, Mattias Uyeda allow them to each off the hook. After Prince Albert goalie Michal Orsulak made a sprawling save on Rhys Jamieson on the net-front, Jamieson retrieved the puck and despatched a backhand cross to Uyeda from behind the online, and the 19-year-old defenseman deked in behind the left circle and ripped a shot by to push it to 2-0 at 15:57.
The Raiders had a chance to even issues up with two energy performs late within the first and initially of the second, respectively, however Miller and the penalty kill had been as much as the duty.
Whereas Prince Albert got here up empty on the man-advantage, it picked up sufficient momentum to push again. The Raiders matched their shot output from the primary interval (5) in simply 3:38 of the second, which is when Brayden Dube reduce it to 2-1 with a net-front rebound.
Prince Albert generated a handful of offensive zone turnovers within the following minutes, threatening to tie it up a number of occasions, however Miller shut the door. His greatest save got here in opposition to Jonah Sivertson with a point-blank glove cease at 9:56 after one other turnover.
Bear went off the publish on an open web once more at round 11:40, however Liske made it a non-factor by restoring the two-goal lead at 14:51 with a implausible solo effort.
Drifting again in the direction of the blue line within the offensive zone, the 2026 NHL Draft prospect reduce the breaks and spun away from Max Heise into the left circle, the place he utilized a Miettinen display in entrance and slipped a wrister by to make it 3-1.
Everett obtained its second power-play alternative of the night time on a Dube roughing name at 17:41, and Busch cashed in for his second aim with 43.5 seconds left within the body to increase it to 4-1, trickling a shot into Orsulak’s pad and off Prince Albert defender Linden Burrett’s skate into the online, all however placing the sport out of attain heading into the second intermission.
Busch accomplished his hat trick at 6:17 of the third interval with a shot off the faceoff from the correct circle, and overager Nolan Chastko pushed it to 6-1 at 7:07 with a hack from behind the left circle. Raiders captain Justice Christensen reduce it to 6-2 at 11:04 with a 4-on-3 power-play aim, nevertheless it was far too late. DuPont kicked within the further level at 15:50 of the third on a give-and-go with Shantz for the 7-2 closing.
It didn’t take lengthy for the celebration to begin. The gamers stood with their arms round one another on the bench effectively earlier than the ultimate buzzer, spilling onto the ice to have fun when the clock lastly hit 0:00. Amid the on-ice celebration, Hamilton hugged every participant earlier than stepping into the handshake line.
Together with his arm in a sling, injured Silvertips captain Tarin Smith accepted the Ed Chynoweth Cup from WHL Commissioner Dan Close to earlier than the remainder of the management group — Bear, Vaughan, DuPont and Heslop — introduced the Cup to the remainder of the crew.
With the WHL title in tow, Everett will put together for the Memorial Cup in Kelowna, with its first recreation set for Might 23.